Former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, has described the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, as a cash cow organisation that needs to be reviewed.
Wike stated this while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s N195.3bn Port Harcourt Ring Road – a 50.1km project in Port Harcort, on Monday.
The dual carriage road project, to be executed by Julius Berger, spans six local government areas with six flyovers and one bridge, to be completed within 36 months.
Wike said: “Ordinarily, this project you’re doing is meant to be done by NDDC if it was a development commission.
“Unfortunately, what we have is Niger Delta Cash Cow. Unfortunately.
“It is a cash cow, not a development commission. Please, change that phrase to Niger Delta Cash Cow. All they do is go to a primary school; stating that they are doing a six-classroom block which nobody asked them to do.
“Everyone wants to be chairman of NDDC, Minister of NDDC, all because of cash cow. I believe our President would change what we use to have as cash cow to bring development to Niger Delta.
“I’ve never seen a region that hates itself like our region. I’ve never seen that.”
Addressing Fubara, Wike said, “Let me advise you, this good thing you are doing today attracts envy, attracts gang up against you.
“You will see a lot of gang-up against you amongst your peers, particularly in your region.”
“Instead of them to appreciate, they will be asking, what is he trying or show? Just like his predecessor did’.
“Don’t bother about those things. What you must bother about is what good you’ll do for your people.”
The former governor bragged that no sitting governor could match Fubara in landmark projects delivery under current leadership in Nigeria.
Wike said, “In 2007, 2008, one man was governor at a time; in a month we got N100 billion. I was Chief of Staff.
“We put N100 billion in a bank; that we were going to do this road. Up till today there is no Ring Road. https://21a74c65b665b5af7769a380252e9db4.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
“But today, a man one month in office has awarded a project of N195 billion and has paid N150 billion.
“I challenge any state, any governor today that will say he has the chest, the capacity to engage a reputable company like JB to award N195 billion single contract and pay N150 billion.
“When he (Fubara) will show you 100 days, Nigerians will be shocked.”
Credit: Vanguard News Nigeria